Gayle Anderson

PE-Backed SaaS Company: As CFO and Interim CEO, Gayle was responsible for strategic planning, financial forecasting and controls, tax, accounting, human resources, and business intelligence. As interim CEO, she led the company through a major shift in strategic direction, an internal reorganization, and the sale of a business unit, all while maintaining most of the CFO duties. She hired strong business leaders to create the company’s first-ever FP&A team and Business Intelligence team. Gayle set priorities, unlocked resources, and provided mentorship and guidance. Within months, she implemented a formal forecasting process, regular KPI reporting, and strong controls over the RFP process that led to improved visibility and accountability throughout the organization. Gayle also created the first-ever formal companywide incentive plan, presented it to the Board, received approval, and rolled it out to the company, increasing employee engagement, morale, and accountability. She implemented NetSuite ERP system, consolidating 4 separate QuickBooks general ledgers and one instance of Sage into a unified Chart of Accounts in a single system. 

Credit Score Monitoring Company: As a CFO and a member of the Senior Leadership team, Gayle was responsible for strategic planning, financial forecasting and controls, tax, and accounting, with dotted-line responsibility for Business Intelligence and Operational Analytics. She implemented the company’s firstever detailed budget process, fostering increased accountability and operational expense forecasting accuracy. Gayle led the organization through a restructuring process resulting in companywide cost reductions of 40% and improved the company’s VISA chargeback ratios by 50%. 

Zoo Management Company: As Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Administration and Business Operations, Gayle was directly in charge of Legal and Capital Projects and Planning in addition to leading all administrative functions. She was involved in risk management, contract review, and overseeing major capital investment and construction projects. As CFO and VP of Administration, Gayle supervised the creation, collaborative development, and Board approval of the Facilities Master Plan, an ambitious 20-year vision for the growth of the zoo. She led the transformational project to consolidate POS, donor management, and education reservation systems into one technology solution; moving this initiative from the idea stage through the vendor selection, Board approval, contract negotiation, and formation of the implementation team that consisted of representatives from every impacted functional area. Gayle also negotiated a 10-year extension with a food, beverage, and retail provider, expected to deliver over $16 million in value, more than a 20% increase vs. the previous contract. She reorganized the purchasing and accounts payable departments, resulting in better pricing and terms from vendors, paperless credit card statements, expanded use of electronic payments, and moving from habitual payment of late fees to taking advantage of early pay discounts. Gayle negotiated gap financing to bridge cash flow requirements for a $14 million capital campaign. 

Publicly Traded Online Dating Platform: As Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, Gayle had P&L responsibility for the Japan and Latin America businesses and was the primary M&A executive for the entire company. As Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Global Finance, Gayle was involved in all strategic decisions including marketing, product, business intelligence, and acquisitions. She closed 5 acquisitions and 1 divestiture within 2 years, 3 of which were complex international transactions. Gayle led due diligence efforts, negotiated deal points, and worked with legal and investment banking representatives on valuation and contractual issues. She divested the European business in exchange for 27% ownership in a publicly traded French company and exercised the option to make a tender offer for remaining shares achieving a 25% return in 2 years. By overhauling the financial planning/ forecasting system, Gayle reduced the budget and long-term planning cycle by 50%.